Gifts from the Sea on the Sonoma Coast
The Intentional Table
A Green Sea Anenome looking for a snack! In the culinary arts and herbal medicine worlds, sea vegetables have carved out a niche as versatile, nutrient-dense ingredients. Among the most celebrated are kombu and bladderwrack, two brown seaweed types stapled in traditional diets and remedies for centuries. 0715 @ Bodega Bay. = Heaven #IAMSOSPOILED because I live only 45 minutes from several beaches with an incredible abundance of seaweeds. I went yesterday and hand harvested about 20 pounds! The ones I love the most are Kombu, Bladderwrack, Nori, Sister Sarah, and Feather Boa. Yesterday,...
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Arugula... it's a vegetable... right?
The Intentional Table
Arulgula…. it’s a vegetable! Click the Image above to hear it! Arugula Examining the Health Benefits and Nutrition of this Powerhouse Leafy Green Arugula was a valued green in ancient Rome, where it was celebrated in poetry and prose for its effects on mind and body. Unfortunately, it’s far less popular today than its cousins spinach and kale, even though arugula may be the healthiest green of all. In this article, we’ll look at the evidence for arugula’s health benefits and see if those ancient Romans were right to celebrate it. I know I shouldn’t do this because of...
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Auto Immune Release Series Part 2
The Intentional Table
Apple Blossoms @ Musea. Showy! Well, here it is, our second week of thoughts and inspirations about Auto-Immune conditions, how we all have a little of it going all the time, and what we can do about it. Spoiler alert: I am going to write about a plant-based diet this time. My hamburger loving self cringes. But remember that I said last time everything in moderation? Here is a good time to take a breath and remember that you do not have to go cold turkey on the turkey! Increase your intake of rainbow-colored fruits and vegetables. Consume more colorful fruits and vegetables to get as much...
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Auto Immune Release Series Part 1
The Intentional Table
Apricots Anyone? @ Musea What is an autoimmune disease? Why are we speaking about this, at length at the Intentional Table? Great questions! Let’s do this in reverse order. The why of this is life. We all know we are alive, as the machines that go ‘ping’ tell us when we are strapped in. But we also understand that there is way more to it than that. We are sometimes led to think that we are simply biological machines and that, like getting the oil in your car changed, you can go to the doctor if you live your life poorly, and they will ‘fix’ you. Then, out the door and on your...
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Intentional Wellness from Musette
The Intentional Table
Greetings all, How wonderful it is to speak to you through this simple platform. I wish we could all sit around the Intentional Table itself (mine or yours) and drink in the feeling of togetherness, which is the ‘why’ in the ‘what’ around here. I would like you to have a gift. It’s a preview of a book I am writing about Nutritional Wellness. It’s not a b…
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I Taste, Therefore I Am...
The Intentional Table
At the Intentional Table, we taste. Do we ever! Every person who learns to eat, cook, or serve should also learn how to taste. Sounds easy, right? Not so fast, my dearest. Taste is an objective and a subjective thing! It’s objective because every person that is a person (despite a few unfortunate outliers) has taste buds built into the design. However, just because you have the hardware doesn't mean you have the software. If you do have the software, then you have an appreciation of fundamentals when it comes to how your organ of perception, which is your mouth, your tongue, your nose,...
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Biodynamics Basics
The Intentional Table
Hello, my intrepid Intentional Table guests! Today, with our afternoon wine, will be the topic that is near and dear to our hearts here. Biodynamics. What is it, you may ask? Why is it important to this table, Musea, and our lives? All good questions. Read on, and if you want the DEEP DIVE EXTRA CREDIT, it’s at the bottom.⬇︎ There are two polar views of scientific reality when it comes to the consideration of the active practice of biodynamics. One is the left-brain approach, represented by the Newtonian Analytical view that has dominated science for the last two centuries. Newton...
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February 4 is World Cancer Awareness Day
The Intentional Table
Take a look at this team. They are really on it. Click the image for link. You may ask yourself, now, why would he say that? It certainly could apply to any human, anywhere. There are 340 activities around the world for Cancer Day. So, it must be happening, you know, out there somewhere. Hubris leads to nemesis. Cancer, hunger, war, disease, and crime all happen. It must happen because it’s all over the news. It’s hard to connect with anything like this while you read it on the device in your hand while it charges at Starbucks as you sip your mocha. Our children have never seen it. Our...
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The Agony and The Ecstasy of the Table
The Intentional Table
I thought I would take a few minutes to see if you would like to travel with me back in time to revisit exactly what the intentional table is and how it's considered here in our little conversation and in real life. If you asked me to cook for you, I would be delighted. That's all there is to it. I wouldn't question what our budget was, what the logistics were, or really what it was that you wanted to eat when you're with whom. All those things are in a particular way beside the point. What this means is that you're asking me to create with intention, something for you that actually serves...
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Only the wounded eye can see
The Intentional Table
I came up with this phrase while meditating yesterday. It was inspired by something my dear friend Andrew Johnstone told me recently. At the Intentional Table, we find ourselves circling back to an important theme with a recurring and increasing frequency: Gratitude. It's an incredibly overused, misused, and, I think, sometimes misleading term. Oxford says, “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” In the latter part of that sentence is the key, which is ‘returning.’ There is an idea that we commonly refer to in Intentional...
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Greetings! It’s Cocktail Hour at the Intentional Table!
It’s time for a new year, at least according to Julius Ceasar. They call it the Julian Calendar for a reason! Well, ‘when in Rome’, let’s have a peek at how to safely and beautifully open a bottle of sparkling wine.
The ‘Champagne of Beers.’ I read it right there on the Miller beer bottle! According to any French person who has ever lived, ever, the comparison of sparkling wine to Champaign might as well be the same as Champagne to beer. There are many sparkling wines worldwide, including Prosecco (Italy) and Cava (Spain), which are wonderfully made, extraordinary things, drink beautifully, and are perfect for any occasion. But let's just be crystal clear: there is only one Champagne. How Bougie!
The easy and short answer is that sparkling wine can only be called “Champagne” if it is made in the region of Champagne, France, which is located just outside of Paris. To clarify, all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Got it? Bon!
While we're firmly of the belief that there's no bad time to open a bottle of champagne, there's no denying that as the end of the year approaches, so too does the number of corks the average person pops. But are you opening those bottles the right way to make the most of your bottles of bubbly? After all, a poorly opened bottle can not only end in messy sprays of sparkling stuff (forget the milk, it's spilled champagne that's really worth crying over) and loss of valuable bubbling power but considering that the pressure inside of the bottle and expel champagne corks at close to 25 mph, unwary popping can even be a safety hazard.
There's no need to scream "duck" as you wrench out the cork, though. There is a proper—and safe—way to open a bottle of bubbly.
Remember, if you point it at someone, it’s a weapon. Don’t be that person….
WE are more sophisticated than that at the Intentional Table; I would posit for your consideration! Let’s use beauty as our guiding principle as we do this.
Make Sure the Bottle Is Chilled
The bottle of champagne or sparkling wine should be properly chilled to around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. If it isn't cold enough, the pressure inside the bottle will cause the cork to release very quickly. That's when you get a geyser and a dangerous projectile.
Use a Wine Key to Cut off the Foil… or not.
Although all sparkling wines have a tab to help open the bottle, most of the time, it fails to make its way around the bottle, leaving an ugly mess of excess foil. Cutting the foil below the large lip of the bottle all the way around creates an even, clean line so that once the foil is removed, the cork and cage (the wire piece wound over the top of the cork) are exposed—it makes for a more attractive presentation and a more comfortable fit in your hand for the rest of the opening process.
But you don’t really have to, friend. Be lovely or not; it’s your call, and for me, it all depends on just how thirsty I am. My fellow revelers are…
Use a Napkin or Towel.
If your bottle has been sitting in an ice bath or has developed condensation, make sure to dry it off first. Then, fold a napkin or kitchen towel lengthwise and put it over the cage and the cork. This creates another measure of safety that can help prevent the cork from flying off and will help you get a better grip.
Twist the bottle—not the cork.
This is priceless advice. It’s easier to grip the big handle than the small one, nes’t pas?
Once the cage is loosened, begin to extract the cork by keeping pressure around the cork and twisting the bottle. If you twist the cork, it can break inside the bottle.
Disclaimer: The above is correct. I am not correct; I usually will remove the cage before I pull the cork. It helps me stay steady and not get the cage hung on the lip of the bottle.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? (3) How many turns of the wire cage loop before the cage is ‘loose’ and not a safety device any longer? Answer: 6 1/2. Exactly. Only. Every time. Count them! When you get to 6.5, that baby is ready to go. Use your new smarts to stay safe.
Begin to pull the cork away from the bottle slowly.
Once the bottle has been loosened and is moving freely around the cork, continue to maintain a firm grip on the cork and progressively begin to work it out. I usually will twist ever so gently as well, but I remain aware of not breaking the neck of the thin lower part. Do this until the pressure in the bottle begins to push the cork out naturally. Once you feel the cork begin to move on its own, push against it gently to keep it from releasing too quickly.
Control how quickly the cork separates itself from the bottle.
The slower the cork separates itself from the bottle, the more gentle the hiss that will occur. That's right, a hiss, not a pop. People are always wowed when a bottle of sparkling wine is opened with barely a blip—aim for that.
The French term for this is: ‘The Sweet Sigh.’ This is what you want.
Use your favorite glasses... and reconsider flutes. What? I know! While flutes are common, the narrow opening keeps you from appreciating the aromas of the wine, meaning you miss out on some of the bubbly nuances. Instead, pros tend to favor tulip-style glasses (think: a champagne flute with a wider rim and a more rounded bowl) or white wine glasses (champagne is, at its essence, white wine) to make the most of the vintage.
So, it’s that time. Get in the fridge, and get it real cold-like, beloveds.
Blessing from this Intentional Table and its humble cook.
Cheers!
